


Perfect strangers

by hollstein_af



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Accidental Domestic Bliss, Everybody is human, F/F, Lauras POV, POV Second Person, carmilla is lauras live-in surrogate, i hated writing this so much you have no idea, i'm sorry this is kinda long, im so nervous about posting this you guys, slight Lawdorf, surrogate mother AU, which im pretty sure isnt actually a thing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-09
Updated: 2015-12-09
Packaged: 2018-05-05 21:15:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5390702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hollstein_af/pseuds/hollstein_af
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>of all the people in the world you SHOULDN'T fall in love with, the woman you hire to be your surrogate mother is probably top of the list</p>
            </blockquote>





	Perfect strangers

**Author's Note:**

> So you actually cant be a surrogate mother unless you've given birth before but i had to pretend that wasn't a thing because it just wouldn't have worked in this story.  
> I've never been pregnant so I'm going off what I've read on the internet (the research for this fic took forever, it was a real pain it the neck.  
> Also lets just pretend its not dangerous to eat raw cupcake batter.  
> I seriously would not advise doing just about anything that i wrote about in this fic.  
> warnings:  
> -mention of alcohol  
> -some descriptions of morning sickness, kind of gross but not graphic

 

You straighten your blazer and check your hair in the mirrored elevator door before you take a deep breath and enter the clinic. Maybe you shouldn't be this nervous, this isn't your first time here, but it is the first time since they found you a potential surrogate mother to check out.

Its not how you imagined having a baby. You had always assumed that you would carry your own child, and that you would be in a stable relationship when you decided to do so. It seems, however, that fate had other plans because here you were, 30 and single, ready to entrust a perfect stranger with carrying your baby.

You’d been diagnosed with a heart condition a year ago that made pregnancy just too dangerous for you. it had come as an unpleasant surprise but you’d made your peace with it.

you walk up to the front desk to let them know you’d arrived, Elsie, the blonde receptionist, throws you a wink.

“I’ll let perry know you’re here. Just take a seat, there are some truly riveting lifestyle and cooking magazines in the waiting area”.

“thanks Elsie”. You gravitate to the corner of the room, away from where all the couples are sitting. You don’t like feeling as though they pity you for doing this alone. They almost make you wish you had brought your best friend Betty along.

you pick up a lifestyle magazine and flip to an article about composting but you’re not really reading it. You’re too excited to focus, this could be it. they might have finally found you a surrogate.

It turns out you don’t have to wait long. It only takes about 10 minutes before you get to leave the waiting area.

“Ms Hollis, perry is ready to see you”, Elsie leads you through a hallway covered in baby photos, towards a familiar office.

She opens the door for you then gives you one last thumbs up before returning to her desk.

Perry smiles up at you from behind a glass topped table.

“Laura! welcome back. how are you?”, she gestures to the chair in front of you and sit down.

“Good. a little nervous actually” you admit.

She smiles sympathetically.

“There’s no need to be nervous dear, the woman that we found is only a _potential_ gestational surrogate, nothing to say you have to choose her”.

“Or that she has to choose _me_ ” you add. this is what you’re really afraid of.

“lets not think like that!” perry says optimistically. “For today, lets just go over her file, then you can decide whether or not you want to set up a meeting with her”.

You nod. “ok. so what’s her name?”. seems like a logical place to start.

Perry gives you a ‘that’s the spirit’ type smile and opens the brown folder. 

“Her name is Carmilla Karnstein. She’s 27. She lives here in Styria, which makes her a good geographical match. Curator for a local art gallery. No history of heart problems or high blood pressure and all of her tests came back negative for STI’s. It says here that she's willing to consider live-in surrogacy, which is what you wanted. She didn't include a photograph, but that hardly matters”.

“What about her background check?”, you don’t want to get your hopes up too soon.

“She had a few minor misdemeanour's as a teenager but she has no recent criminal record. There are no red flags that suggest she’s dangerous” perry pauses, “Do you have any other questions?”.

“she’s read my file right?" you ask, perry nods,"is there any chance that she’s here because she’s some kind of homophobic activist” you blurt out.

Perry actually laughs a little at that, “no dear, there’s no chance of that. We've done very thorough checks for that kind of thing. We also have trusted character witnesses. Trust me, we’re very careful”.

You can't help feeling relieved. There’s another item off your check-list of possible issues. 

“so what do you think? should we contact her and arrange a meeting?”.

“I think she sounds perfect”.

 

* * *

 

The first time you lay eyes on Carmilla Karnstein, you’re convinced the agency sent you the wrong person. You aren't sure what exactly you were expecting, but it certainly wasn't her.

You had arranged to have to her meet you at your apartment rather than the clinic, Thinking that it might make things less awkward and more personal.

Your first impression of her is that she’s late, 24 minutes late to be exact. You’re beginning to think that she must have changed her mind about meeting you when you finally hear the doorbell ring.

She’s standing at your door when you open it and to say she isn't what you imagined, would be the understatement of the century. You’d never even considered the possibility that your surrogate mother would be ridiculously attractive, yet here she is, one of the most gorgeous women you've ever seen. She’s wearing tight leather pants and a slightly bored expression. You freeze up, just staring at her before you realise that its been 20 seconds and you haven’t even invited her in yet.

“Oh! sorry! you’re Carmilla right? Come in. Can I get you anything? Tea? Coffee? Hot chocolate?”, she smirks at how flustered you are. you step aside to let her past you.

“I'm not thirsty”. Her voice is low and husky. you can't deny it's hot but you try to push that to the back of your mind. You have more important things to think about. 

“Right. Uh, have a seat, is it ok if I ask you some questions?” you say nervously.

She settles into your biggest armchair “That’s why I'm here, cutie”.

“ok cool. lets get started then”, you fumble awkwardly with the piece of paper you’d written your questions on. “would you be comfortable with me being there for any doctors appointments?”.

“sure”. you’re a bit surprised by how casual she’s being about this.

“and what about at, you know- the uh birth?”.

“I don’t see why not”. The flirtatious lilt in her voice makes the simple sentence sound almost like an innuendo. 

“Oh ok, good. Is your family supportive of your decision to be a surrogate?” you ask.

for the first time since she got there, she tenses up, only for a second though, before her expression turns casual and disaffected again. You must have struck a nerve.

“I'm not in contact with them”.

“I'm sorry-”, she waves your apology off, so you turn back to your list,“Um, how many other people are you interviewing with?”.

“Other than you? 4 couples” she says with a hint of a smile back on her face.

Now comes the part you’d been dreading. 

“we should probably discuss contact after the birth. ideal-” you begin but you're cut off. 

“Relax cupcake, after I push your kid out, you never have to see me again. Its all yours”. This is the answer you had been hoping for but for some reason you feel weird about it. You decide not to dwell on that. 

“thank you” you say, as sincerely as possible “I mean I know you haven’t chosen me yet but…”, you trail off. Camilla gives you her first genuine smile of the day.

“to be honest, you don’t have a lot of competition”. She’s looking at you kinda intensely which makes you blush. 

You’re about to say something but she gets there first “it says on your application that you ideally want a live-in surrogate”

“well yeah, but that’s totally not a deal breaker or anything”.

“lets just say that I agreed to it. how soon would you want me here? and would you provide me with food?”.

you’re surprised by her compliance, the whole 'live-in surrogate’ thing had been a long shot.

“yeah, i could absolutely feed you. I guess whenever you felt ready, the sooner the better. is that really something you would consider?”.

“it would save me from being mothered to death by my tree of a roommate” she says smoothly.

You laugh and start to feel yourself relax slightly. You fold your paper away, you’d memorized the questions anyway.   
~

You end up talking for another hour. You must have done something right because she chooses you over the other candidates. She might not be the warmest, most forthcoming person you've ever met but its not like you have to date her. She willing to have a baby for you, that’s enough.

 x

* * *

 

You don’t hear from Carmilla again for a couple of months. Perry lets you know when the insemination has taken place, its not necessary for you to be there for that. In fact it would probably be weird and invasive it you were there. Most of you information comes from the clinic to begin with and its not until five weeks later that Carmilla actually calls you.

You’re sitting on the floor of your living room, Betty on the couch behind you working your hair into some kind of elaborate up-do. The two of you had managed to plough through two  bottles of wine and you’re in the process of convincing her to adopt a dog when your cellphone rings. You look down at the screen and see Carmilla's name, you try to answer it so quickly that it slips out of your hand like wet soap. You scramble across the room to pick it up.

“Hi-hey, Carmilla”, you hope its not obvious that you’re kind of tipsy right now.

At the sound of Carmilla's name, Betty leaps off the couch and presses her ear to your head by the phone so she can listen too.

“Hey”. She sounds bored as usual. 

You can't seem to think of a polite way to ask her why she called, so you opt for attempted small talk instead. 

“Uh, how are you?”. Betty gives you a look, you sounded much more awkward than you had intended.

“I just called to let you know, it looks like the insemination was successful”, She says, ignoring your question. 

“wait, so you mean you’re-”.

“yeah, congratulations I guess”. You turn to Betty, who’s doing an excited, silent scream thing.

“Oh my god, that's amazing! thank you for calling!”. You’re starting to feel light-headed, Either from the good news or the wine. You’re not sure which.

“I have to go, my roommate is insisting on taking me out for ice cream,-I'm on the phone Xena!”. you hear her yell to somebody, presumably her roommate, but you’re too happy to take it all in.

“Ok I’ll call you tomorrow, bye Carm”. you practically squeak. Is it appropriate to give her a nickname? You don't know but right now you don't really care. This is happening. you’re going to be a mother.

"yeah whatever". 

You hang up and Betty hugs you tight, you’re so excited you think you might be shaking a little. You pull back and Betty starts pouring more wine into your glass.

“I think this calls for a toast”.

* * *

The week leading up to your first doctors appointment with Carmilla is a blur of nerves and excitement. 

The appointment itself is pretty straightforward. Carmilla's only 6 and a half weeks pregnant so its too soon to hear the heartbeat. Doctor Armitage mostly focuses on her medical history and you feel a bit like you’re intruding on something, like you shouldn't be there.

“You must be miss Karnstein's partner” the doctor says, in a cheerful British accent when you take a seat next to Carmilla.

“oh-, no, I'm just-, she's my surrogate” you stammer out, your face bright red. Carmilla's smirking, clearly amused by your discomfort.

“right! sorry! I haven't had the time to read through your file yet”.

The whole thing mostly consists of her answering questions and having tests done. He also gives her advice her diet and advises ginger tea for her Nausea.  

you stay quiet for the rest of the appointment, a lot of what they're talking about doesn't really concern you. It does occur to you though, just how little you know about Carmilla as a person. Other than a brief overview of her life, you only really know her in a medical sense. You know her blood type but you don't even know her address.

After they've gone over her sexual history (you spend the majority of this conversation staring at the floor), Doctor Armitage books her in for another appointment in a few weeks then you're both allowed to go. 

 ~

You approach her in the parking lot, determined to get to know her.

“Hey, did you wanna grab some lunch? I know a place that makes the best Burritos”.

She grimaces at the word “Burritos” and groans out a quiet “don't”.

you’re confused at first until you notice her hand on her stomach and realise.

“morning sickness?”, you ask.

she snorts “I wouldn't exactly call it _morning_ sickness”.   
  
You can’t help feeling guilty, its sort of your fault that she feels like crap.

“ok so how about tea instead?”. 

“I think I might like that very much”.

 ~

Well one thing you can add to your short list of things you know about Carmilla is that she slurps when she drinks tea. Its a pet peeve of yours but you try not to let it annoy you because she's doing you the worlds hugest favour. yeah she's getting paid for it, but you can't really put a price on what she's giving you. If she can handle giving birth to a strangers baby, then you can handle her bad table manners. 

You get a table at the far end of the cafe, away from the kitchen so she doesn't have to smell the eggs cooking. apparently most cooking smells are causing her terrible nausea. 

she sets her mug down and focuses her attention on you, "do you still want me to live with you?", she asks. right, straight down to business. 

"only if you want to", you say, hurriedly. you don't want her thinking you're some kind of control freak who only wants her around so you can monitor her. You're not your father. 

"Good. i need to get out of my apartment", she says shortly. You look at her quizzically and she elaborates "my roommate found a box of puppies abandoned behind her office. she wouldn't leave them at an animal shelter because they need undivided attention, so now we live with six dogs. long story short, they bark constantly at ungodly hours of the morning". 

"they sound so cute!". 

She gives you a half-hearted glare. "not when you're getting three hours sleep". 

Now that she says it, she does look tired. Like, really tired. she's even more pale than usual and there are dark circles under her eyes. 

"I guess I can understand that. I can get the guest room set up by this weekend. after that you can move in whenever you want". 

"thanks, sweetheart". The smile she gives you is surprisingly warm, it makes her look a lot softer. she's very pretty when she smiles. 

The only thing on the menu that doesn't make her feel sick is the pancakes. you order a plate to share, which you end up regretting because she doesn't like nearly enough maple syrup in your opinion. You don't get to have pancakes a lot, so when you do, you like them drowning in syrup.

Despite her occasional rudeness, she's actually good company and you enjoy spending time with her. 

 "Is your roommate by any chance, looking for homes for these puppies? because I have a friend who might be interested". you say, thinking of Betty. 

"that's what she says, but i think it'll be hard for her to give them up. they're kind of her babies now. give me your friends number, I'll pass it on to Danny and we'll see if she can bare to part with one". 

 

* * *

 

It only takes a week of living with her for you to start regretting your whole "live-in surrogate" idea. 

You don't mind the fact that she eats most of your food or that you have to stop eating cooked breakfasts because she cant stand the smell, that's to be expected when you live with a pregnant woman. What you do mind is the trail of mess that seems to follow her wherever she goes. she leaves her dishes and clothes everywhere, you'd even found one of her shirts on the kitchen floor- what she was doing taking her shirt off in the kitchen, you don't know. 

You don't know what kind of weird-ass hours she's working at the art gallery, but they seem to have turned her nocturnal because she regularly comes home after 2 am and she usually sleeps most of the day. when she is home, she hogs the tv, usually to watch old black and white horror films or, weirdly enough, the vampire diaries. Then there's the mater of her mood. you don't know if she's hormonal or just generally moody, you only hope none of her attitude seeps into the baby by way of some kind of freak accident. 

After finding the shower drain clogged with her hair for the third time, you finally lose patience. 

you march into her room, she's napping with a book resting on her chest. Its not cute enough to dissipate your anger. 

"Carmilla! we need to talk". 

she scrunches her face and blinks, looking at you blearily. 

"Cant it wait, cutie?, I'm trying to grow a human life here, I need my rest". you cant believe she's playing that card. you're close to fuming. 

"this won't take long, we just need to talk ground rules", your voice sounds venomous, even to you.

The look of mild amusement on her face is making you even angrier. You've always had a tiny bit of a temper. 

"that bunched up little face you make when you're angry is hilarious, buttercup", she drawls. 

"I'm serious! I'm just asking you to clean up after yourself".

"what are you going to do? make us a chore wheel?". you feel yourself flushing angrily. if she's trying to wind you up (and she probably is) it's working. 

"Well, we cant all just lay around and relax all day, doing nothing!" you spit out.

you know as soon as it leaves your mouth, that you shouldn't have said that. you know there's nothing relaxing 'relaxing' about feeling sick 24/7. she could definitely afford to be tidier, but with one sentence you're invalidating all of the discomfort she's going through for you. Why does she have to be so infuriating? if she had agreed to be a little less careless this never would have happened. 

she pushes past you "I'm going to take a shower". 

~

You don't talk about that fight, which probably isn't the healthiest way to deal with things but everything goes back to normal pretty quickly. she's a little colder to you but you notice that she's stopped clogging the shower drain so you can't complain.

Its already 7:30 by the you wake up. usually you would have left for work by 7 am, being the producer of an extremely successful morning talk show, means being up before the sun. you've already texted Betty to let her know you're running late and you're getting ready to leave when you see, firsthand, just how bad Carmilla's morning sickness is. 

The bathroom door's open and she on her knees with her head bowed over the toilet. Her whole body is shaking as she throws up into the toilet bowl. You almost walk away but you can't leave her like this. It just isn't fair. Before you can overthink it, you step towards her and gather her hair up behind her head. You're not sure if she'll appreciate the gesture, the two of you haven't been on the best of terms lately but being sick is hard enough with getting it in your hair. when she doesn't protest or push you away, you lay a tentative hand between her shoulders and rub her back lightly. 

You stay with her until she's finished, its pretty gross but you imagine its much worse for her. she sits, back pressed against the bathroom wall, looking thoroughly exhausted and miserable. You sink down so you're seated across from her. 

"Are you ok?". you ask. 

she lets out a hollow laugh. 

"oh yeah, just peachy". you heart aches at how weak her voice is. you feel guilty for putting her through this all over again. 

"I'm sorry-". you begin to apologise but she interrupts. 

"you don't need to apologise. Nobody forced me to do this,ok? if it wasn't you it just would have been somebody else-", she gives you a tiny smile "-and quite frankly, i'm glad it _is_ you".

You don't know how the situation turned into _her_ comforting _you_ when it should probably be the other way around, but you do feel better. 

"Thanks", you say, a little shyly, "Can i at least get you some water?, you should probably keep your fluids up". 

She nods and you get up and head to the kitchen.

Your fingers brush together when you hand her the glass. you think you must've built up static because you feel something, almost like electricity, pulse through you at her touch. 

She's giving you that soft smile again, the one you haven't seen in a little while. The one that makes your chest feel warm.

you're getting ready to leave (if you weren't late to work before then you _definitely_ are now) when you hear her voice from the couch. 

"uh, Laura? thanks". 

it doesn't even occur to you until later that this is the first time she's ever said your name. 

* * *

Its almost unnerving how fast she manages to become a huge part of your life. She's thoroughly weaved her way into your everyday routine, even your friendship with Betty.  You hadn't expected her and Betty to get along that well, but much to your surprise, they actually play off each other nicely. It kind of makes sense, you think, they both have the same sarcastic sense of humour.

A tiny part of you is worried by how well she seems to fit, worried that its just going to make things harder when she has to go. 

Time seems to go by so quickly, and before you know it, the two of you are waiting in doctor Armitage's office again for the first ultrasound. 

You sit in the chair next to the bed Carmilla is currently stretched out on. you fidget nervously, you've always been impatient. 

"do you think we'll be able to hear the heartbeat?", you ask her. 

"Most likely". she's never been a huge talker, but she seems particularly preoccupied. Most of her sentences that day had only consisted of one or two words. you think maybe she's nervous too. 

she's 10 weeks along now, which means that your baby is about the size of a prune (according to the app on your phone). 

"sorry to keep you waiting, ladies", DR Armitage enters, wheeling a trolley with the sonogram machine on it. 

"its no problem! we're just excited to get started". you don't know when you and Carmilla became a 'we' in your mind. 

"excellent! how have you been feeling Ms Karnstein?", he asks fiddles with the machine. 

"like shit" she says in a mock cheerful tone. 

"well the good news is that the nausea should start to clear up over the next couple of weeks". 

they continue to check in while Dr Armitage sets up the sonogram machine.

Carmilla hisses and glares at him when he put the cold gel onto her stomach, he looks at her apologetically. 

"I'm just going to use this-", he holds up the transducer wand, "-to locate the heartbeat". 

he prods around for a few moments before he finds what he's looking for. 

"everything seems in order here, and there-", he points to a small bean shaped thing on the screen, "-is the fetus".

He turns up the volume and suddenly you can hear it. To say it was overwhelming wouldn't quite convey the emotions running through you in that moment. the heart beat is very rapid, it reminds you of a hummingbird. your eyes tear up a bit because that's not just a heartbeat, that _your baby's_ heartbeat. its the first time this has really felt real to you. 

As you gaze intently at the screen, you feel Carmilla's hand slip into yours. You feel your own heart skip a beat and there's that feeling again, the electricity, between you. You don't know what it means. You don't _like_  Carmilla. you _can't_ like Carmilla. You must just have gotten caught up in the moment, its been pretty emotional. Even she's been effected, she's looking at the screen with the same wonder you feel. 

you don't know how you're ever going to be able to say goodbye to her 

* * *

 

its been several weeks since the scan and things between you have been a lot friendlier. you head to her room to ask her if she wants breakfast, when you see her sitting on the floor, a look of extreme concentration on her face as she struggles to do up her leather pants. 

she lets out an exasperated huff and slumps down. "I can't get these moronic pants on!", she says angrily.  

Until now you hadn't really noticed but she's starting to show. where her stomach used to be flat is now a small bump. 

"I can see that, you might want to find something else to wear". 

"no shit",she says sarcastically.

"Carm! don't swear in front of the baby". 

she digs around until she finds a pair of sweatpants. your eyes widen when she tugs her pants off to replace them and she's just standing there in lacy black underwear. suddenly the room feels twenty degrees hotter and you turn around quickly before you could start staring. you shouldn't even be thinking of her in that way. 

"Alright, I'm done, you can look", the way she says it is teasing but still affectionate. 

"you should probably get some maternity clothes soon, your stuffs not gonna fit you for long", 

"that's not happening, cutie". 

you figure there's no point arguing with her. 

* * *

 

 "...and then she started tearing up when she gave me the leash, so I told her I would bring him back once a week to visit her", Betty was telling you all about how she had adopted a Labrador from Carmilla's former roommate. "she was pretty cute actually, she hugged me so hard when I gave her visitation rights". 

Both Betty and Carmilla are resting their feet in your lap, that's what you get for sitting in the middle of the couch apparently. Carmilla is pretending to read next to you but you can tell she's actually paying attention to your conversation. 

"not like she doesn't have five other dogs" Carmilla drawls from behind her book. 

"yeah but Jeffrey's special! I offered to take another one instead but they're all special". Betty explains

"oh, I know", Carmilla says darkly, "she made come along for one of their walks". 

Betty laughs "well _I_  think its adorable". 

You yawn from in between them. Betty ruffles your hair and stands up.

"looks like its time for me to get home", she salutes Carmilla and gives you a little wave. 

She turns and walks out, yelling over her shoulder, "don't stay up too late kids". 

you sneak a glance at Carmilla, who's gone back to her book. You think she looks especially beautiful when she's relaxed. you feel like its probably weird to just watch her while she's not paying attention so you clear your throat. 

she looks up at you with a little crooked smile, "did you want something?". 

"I actually wanted to ask you something. It's totally fine if you say no or you're not comfortable with it", she raises an eyebrow and you continue, "its just, we passed the 16 week mark on Tuesday and I was reading that the baby can hear things now. I know its stupid but I kinda want them to hear my voice, so I was wondering if you would be ok with me reading to them".

she shrugs "I don't have a problem with that". 

You fling your arms around her excitedly. this is the first time you've hugged her and you cant help but notice how soft and warm she is, how nice she smells. it takes a second for her to hug you back, maybe you surprised her. for some reason you really don't want to let go. 

"um Laura, I think you're squishing your baby". Carmilla says quietly in your ear. 

"Oh! sorry!". 

You pull back awkwardly. 

~

 you start by reading Dr. Seuss books because they had always been your favourite as a child. you decide that your room is probably the most comfortable place to do this because your beds so big. you first time you do it, you read fox in socks. 

Carmilla leans back into your pillows, she's taken a particular liking to the yellow one, and closes her eyes. you shuffle down and prop yourself up on your elbow so that your facing her abdomen. 

you don't touch her because you don't really know what the boundary's are, you just put your head as close to her stomach as you can without making things weird. 

At first you try to read quietly so you don't annoy her but if you didn't know better, you'd say she's actually enjoying it. she has a tiny smile on her face and her eyes remain shut.

sometimes when you pause, she'll nudge you and murmur "keep going".  

It's weird but for some reason this feels like the most intimate thing you've ever done with anyone. 

Towards the end she gets very quiet, its not until you finish that you realise she's fallen asleep. You almost go to wake her but she looks so peaceful you just can't bring yourself to do it. Instead, with a small sigh, you cover her with a blanket and take one of your pillows out into the living room to sleep on the couch. 

Over the next few of weeks it keeps happening, you read and she falls asleep on your bed, leaving you to curl up on the couch. 

On the fourth time, you're about to relocate to the living room when she grabs hold of your arm weakly. 

"just stay. its a big bed". she mumbles sleepily. 

You're not sure whether you should listen to her, she _is_ half asleep after all, but you really don't want to sleep out on the couch again so you stay. You shuffle as far away from her as possible and curl up under the covers. 

By morning you both seem to have gravitated towards the centre of the bed because when you wake up, your nose is pressed into her hair. 

Somehow, sharing a bed becomes a regular thing on reading night. You always fall asleep on opposite sides of the bed and you always wake up pressed together. The worst part is that you kind of love waking up with her.

* * *

 About a month after you started accidentally sharing a bed she wakes you up in the middle of the night by repeatedly tugging on your arm. 

"Carm? what's going on? is everything ok?". you switch on your lamp. 

"do we have cupcakes?", she asks quietly. 

"no, I don't think so". 

she makes an almost whining sound. 

"we need to get some". 

"ok, I'll go and grab some first thing in the morning before I go to work". you promise, but she doesn't seem reassured. 

"No, Laura we need to get some now", she sounds nearly close to tears. 

You know there's nowhere you can by cupcakes at this time, so you drag yourself out to the kitchen, Carmilla close behind you, and search for a cupcake recipe. That's how you end up making baked goods in your pyjamas at 2 am. 

Carmilla isn't a lot of help, she just leans over the counter, watching and occasionally making sarcastic comments. 

you pour the batter into the cupcake tray and slide it into the oven before coming to stand next to her. she takes the bowl you made the mixture in and scrapes it onto her finger, sticking it into her mouth and sucking it clean painfully slowly. your eyes follow her movements and you turn bright red when she moans. 

She probably noticed how flustered you are because she's smirking in a very self-satisfied way.

"you have cupcake mix on your chin", you say, in a poor attempt to divert attention from the fact the you're so obviously turned on right now.

She raises an eyebrow and sticks her finger back into the bowl, she leans forward and slowly smears a little of the batter onto your face. she grins.

"There, now we match".  

Her eyes travel from the chocolate splotch on your cheek, down to your lips.

you're so close that you could probably count her eyelashes but you can't seem to move away. you want more than anything to close the distance and kiss her. you know you can't but you're body doesn't seem to have gotten the message, without your knowledge you've started leaning in and her eyes flutter shut. You probably would have kissed her if the oven timer hadn't suddenly gone off, making you jump back in alarm. 

You can't deny it anymore. you're falling for her, the worst possible person you could choose. 

x

* * *

 You're too distracted to listen to whatever Betty's saying right now. You'd agreed to go out and walk Jeffrey with her but right now you think she'd probably be having a better time without you. 

"Laura? are you even listening?". busted. 

"I'm sorry, Bets, I just got a little distracted. tell me again". 

"well, as I was saying, I took Jeffrey over for a playdate at Danny's last night. Anyway, we ended up watching a movie but I sort of fell asleep on the couch then, when I woke up, there were THREE almost full grown Labrador's sleeping on me". 

you laugh "wow, I cant believe you didn't notice that". 

she just shrugs 

she stops walking and sits on a park bench, rummaging in her bag for a tennis ball. you unclip Jeffreys leash for her and he wags his tail frantically. Betty throws the ball and he races off after it. 

"so, do you want to tell me why you're so preoccupied today, or do I have to guess?", you look up in surprise. you didn't think it was that obvious. 

you let out a long sigh, "it's Carmilla...". 

"do you need me to sue her?". 

"what?! no!, why would you think that?". 

"I don't know! She could have committed mail fraud or something". Betty raises her hands defensively and Jeffrey comes running back with the ball.

"its not that, she hasn't done anything wrong".

"ok so what's the problem then?".

"I think I might have feelings for her", you say it quickly, knowing that she's not going to approve. 

Betty whips around. "Laura, NO", she says sternly. 

you groan. 

"I cant help it". 

"listen to me, you don't really have feelings for her, ok? you're just confused. she's all pregnant and its your baby in there. when you look at her, you see the mother of your child. that would be confusing for anyone, its just causing some kind of hormonal rush. If you act on this you're only going to complicate an already difficult situation. I don't want you to get hurt if you don't have to". 

you know deep down that its so much more than a hormonal rush. But you also know she's right about this being too much of a complicated situation. You have to control yourself no matter how much you want Carmilla. 

"ok fine! I'm not going to do anything". 

you throw the ball for Jeffrey. 

Betty looks incredibly guilty. 

"I'm sorry. If you had met her _anywhere_ else, I'd say go for it", you know Betty hates giving you tough love. 

you know she's just trying to be a good friend. 

"I know. its ok". 

* * *

 

Carmilla's almost 26 weeks pregnant before you feel finally the baby kick for the first time. 

You're both sitting on the couch, you'd finally managed to forced her to watch Jessica Jones with you. You know she'll never admit it, but you think she likes it, she keeps forgetting to complain. she's lounging around with her hands resting on her baby bump, rubbing it occasionally, when she frowns slightly. 

"everything ok?", you ask, pausing the TV. 

"I just felt the baby kick". 

"Oh", you try not to sound jealous, she's been able to feel it for weeks but its never strong enough for you to feel. 

"No, I mean I think I felt it from the outside", your eyes widen. 

"can I-?". 

"go ahead". 

You place your hand carefully on her stomach and pause for a minute. 

"I can't feel anything". 

"that's because your hand's in the wrong place", she puts her hand on top of yours and guides it to what you assume is the right place. 

You don't have to wait long before you feel a small thud against your hand. you gasp and look at Carmilla, who's smiling at your reaction. 

"You feel that?", she asks. 

You nod vigorously, words, having temporarily failed you. 

"so that's the baby?". 

"that's your baby", she agrees 

you lock eyes with her and your heart flutters. you feel another kick, a little harder this time. 

you laugh, "so that's what a kick feels like". 

she considers that, "it doesn't exactly feel the same to me". 

"how does it feel to you?" you ask curiously. her hand is still resting on top of yours, soft and warm. 

"It feels kind of like a twitching muscle", she says slowly, "like its just a part of my body rather somebody else's. Then as it gets stronger it also starts to feel like getting kicked from the inside". 

She intertwines your fingers and you feel a familiar warmth flood your chest.

It hits you once again, that you shouldn't get used to this, she wont be around for that much longer and you should start preparing yourself to let her go. But you know deep down that it's too late for that. 

x

* * *

 

It only takes another two weeks before the last of Carmilla's clothes stop fitting her. despite her dire lack of clothing, you still basically have to drag her into the maternity clothes store and she sulks for the entire drive there. 

once you actually make it inside, you understand Carmilla's aversion to these clothes. it looks like it'll take a lot of searching before you find her something even remotely wearable. 

"lets just go home. I can live in my underwear for the next 12 weeks". she says. as tempting as that sounds you shake your head. 

"oh come on Carm! there's got to be something here you would wear", you doubt that even as you're saying it. 

you hold up a yellow shirt that's kinda nice if you squint, "what about this?". 

she looks personally offended "I can't wear that! I'll look like a tennis ball", she hisses. 

she does have a point there.

"maybe they have maternity leather pants or something".

she snorts "you are ridiculous".

"ok then, how about this lovely orange... poncho?", you both burst out laughing at the sight of it. 

She picks up a pair of overalls in complete disgust. you have a feeling it's going to be a long day. 

 

It takes several hours but you finally find her a few pairs of jeans that she doesn't gag at, 3 tank tops that she can wear under her flannel shirts and a gigantic bathrobe. she isn't anywhere near as grumpy on the way home. 

~

You stop off to look at baby clothes on the way back. Its times like these that you let yourself forget that she won't be doing this with you. Over the last 7 months it's started to feel a lot like you and she are a team. you'll remind yourself later that she's just being paid to do a job. 

you try to stock up on onsies and hats but carmilla keeps distracting you with things she finds, like little slippers that look like hedgehogs and a tiny flannel shirt.  

"can you believe how little these socks are?", you ask in mild amazement. 

"they have to be, sweetheart. babies are little". 

"I know, but like, look how tiny these are". 

You spend like 6 minutes trying to choose between the socks with frogs on them and the socks with ducks on them. At some point Carmilla wandered off, them reappeared clutching something in her hands. 

Its her shy expression that piques your curiosity. 

"What have you got there?". 

"uh, I thought you could get this, if you want". she hands you a set of pyjamas that have the words 'Isn't my mama beautiful?' written on them. Your heart flutters and you feel yourself blush violently. 

"thank you", you say, quietly and sincerely. 

her cheeks are a little pink too. 

~

Its raining hard when you pull into your driveway. There's a long walk to your apartment building from the car park and you know that if you're not quick, you're going to get soaked. you step out of the car and sprint towards shelter, yelling "run" behind you. 

"I cant _run_!", Carmilla yells back disbelievingly. oh shit, you forgot about that. 

You turn back to her, you're so close to shelter but she's not moving very fast. you make a split-second decision to run back to her, wrapping an arm around her waist and helping her move quicker. 

By the time you get inside the building you're both dripping and out of breath, your arm is still around her. you stop there for a minute to catch your breath. she has water running down her face from her hair.

Carefully, you push her wet hair off her face and she meets your eyes, you cant seem to look away. Suddenly she's leaning in and you don't stop her.

You cant explain how good it feels when her lips finally touch yours, you know you should put a stop to this but you cant, she's magnetic. you feel that electricity that you've always felt with her, only now, when you can feel her lips moving, its like its multiplied by ten. her lips are so unbelievably soft, you can't help but melt into the kiss. You can't even remember why this is a bad idea. One of her hands is cupping your face and the other is threading itself into your wet hair, while you bring your own free hand up to rest on her jaw, the other still firmly around her waist.

You only stop kissing while you unlock your apartment, as soon as you get inside she presses you up against the door. You tilt your head back as she starts kissing down your neck. she gets all the way down to your collarbone before you need to feel her against your mouth again. you bring her face up to kiss her lips again, she moans softly when you slip your tongue into her mouth. she's kissing you almost frantically and you start undoing her shirt when the reality of the situation hits you. 

you pull back and lay a hand on her chest, her forehead rests on yours, "wait, Carm, stop. we can't". 

"why not?". 

You don't think she's ever looked as irresistible as she does now, lips swollen and slightly parted, still breathless from a moment ago. You wish more than anything that you could just go back to kissing her but you can't. 

You take a step back. "you're my surrogate mother, it wouldn't be right". 

"I'm more than that and you know it". 

"I'm not sure about anything anymore". 

You move into the living room and she follows you, a determined look on her face. You try to explain to her why this can't happen. 

"If we had met in any other way, i would be with you in a heartbeat...but we didn't, it's just too complicated", you say, trying to keep the desperation out of your voice. 

"it doesn't have to be complicated. we both want to be together", you're almost crying at this point. 

"I'm about to become a mother, Carm". 

She looks down at her bump in mock surprise,"why didn't you tell me?", she asks sarcastically. 

"You would be getting so much more than you bargained for, it would never be just you and me. you wouldn't just be getting a relationship, you'd be getting-". 

"-A family", she interrupts, "Laura, I'm here for you, for both of you, as long as you'll have me". 

"of course I _want_ you but how can you be sure that this is what _you_ want?". 

She grasps both of your hands. 

"Because I love you. and I love the baby". You gasp quietly when she says she loves you. 

"I-I love you too, but I'm scared we would be doing the wrong thing". 

"At this point, what wouldn't be the wrong choice?", she asks, you suppose she has a point there. It doesn't help that you want her more than almost anything you've ever wanted in your life. the only thing scarier than this relationship is the thought of loosing her. 

You could be about to make the worst mistake of your life but you're already in motion.

You lean in and bring your lips together again, it starts off heated but eventually slows until you're just pressing a series of soft, short kisses onto her lips. 

"Ok", you say quietly, then louder, "Ok. Let's give it try". 

you've never seen her smile as brightly as she is now and that kind of makes everything worth it. 

she kisses the tip of your nose. 

"God, I love you". 

 

* * *

 

You're laying with your head on her chest, lightly tracing patterns on her belly, when it strikes you that you never asked her why she wanted to be a surrogate mother in the first place. 

"Hey Carm?". 

she hums in response. 

"I guess I just realised that I don't actually know what made you decide to be a surrogate?". 

she kisses the top of your head and sighs "if you're hoping to hear that it's because I love kids and wanted to spread that love around to a family that couldn't have one, you'll be disappointed. To be honest, in the beginning it was more about the money than anything else. I wanted to get enough to buy to the gallery I work for. I'd never even thought about having kids myself, it never crossed my mind that I might want one. I just thought that I would have some rich couples kid, get the money and be done with it". 

"what happened then?". 

"that first interview with you changed something, I didn't even realise at first. I don't know specifically what it was, but something about you stood out, like I wanted you to get what you wanted, more any of the other people I interviewed. After that it just became less and less about the money and more about you and the kid". 

You tilt your head up and she kisses you gently. 

"Now I answered a personal question, its your turn", she says against your lips. 

"ask away". 

"why did you go for surrogacy over adoption?". 

"Nobody would give there child up to a single lesbian. I think I would like to adopt one day though". 

"I think I'd like that too", she says quietly. 

you sigh contentedly and snuggle further into her. 

* * *

 

You enlist the help of Betty to paint the baby's room because she's tall enough to reach the top of the wall with her paint roller. 

you also think its a good time to break the news that you'd decided to do exactly the opposite of what she'd advised you to do. 

"Not long now" Betty says cheerfully, stepping off of a small chair. "Carmilla's huge, how far along is she?". 

"Almost 8 months. Which is why I really need to finish this room". 

"Shit. It feels like just yesterday we were drunk on your floor getting that phone call". 

You laugh "God I know, everything's changed so much. its crazy". 

"So is Carmilla moving straight back in with Danny after the baby's born or what?". 

You might as well get this over with. "yeah about that. Carmilla isn't going anywhere. we're kind of together now". 

"Laura.." Betty says warningly. 

"look, I know ok? it seems crazy and you think I'm stupid". 

"the only stupid thing you did was not tell your best friend as soon as it happened. Maybe I was a little harsh, I still think this could go horribly wrong and be the worst mistake of your life. but its _your life,_ you can make your own choices and I will be here to support you no matter what. do I think this is a good idea? no. but I love you and I'm still here for you".

you hug her and when you pull back she swipes her paintbrush over your shirt. 

which may or may not have turned into a small paint fight. 

* * *

You're determined to go on at least one real date with Carmilla before the baby's born but unfortunately its pretty low on your list of actual priorities. There's no denying that you've left a lot of things to the last minute. 

After neither you nor Carmilla could put together the furniture for the nursery, you'd called Betty. She showed up an hour later bringing Carmilla's ex-roommate Danny with her (you have no idea when those two became a package deal). It only takes them 20 minutes, with Betty reading the instructions and Danny assembling things, before they're done. They high-five aggressively after each piece of furniture they complete. 

You chat to them while they work and Carmilla reads in the corner like the anti-social being that she is. when they're done you pay them with cookies and offer to make them tea but they decline, they can't stay long because they have to get back the dogs. 

Next item on your checklist is packing the bag for the hospital. Carmilla keeps distracting you with kisses and the job ends up taking a lot longer than it needs to. You almost pack her pillow before she tugs it away and reminds you that she still needs to sleep on that. 

when you're finished, you flop down on the bed beside her and she immediately cuddles into you. you stroke her hair and she nuzzles her nose into your neck. you wish you could just stay there with her all day but you haven't even started folding the babies clothes yet so you only give yourself 10 minutes. 

She makes a noise of protest when you try to disentangle yourself from her. 

"I thought I was supposed to be the one with the nesting instinct", she says grumpily. 

"what? I'm not-". you realise that's exactly what you're doing. you'd started nesting. 

You bring in a laundry basket full of baby clothes and pour it onto the bed. You've folded about half of the clothes before Carmilla sighs dramatically, she sits up and silently joins in the folding. you smile at her widely. 

~

The opportunity for a date doesn't come up for another week but when it does, you pounce on it. you're kind of limited in your options for activities because your girlfriend is 8 months pregnant. the seats at the movies are too uncomfortable for her, too many foods give her heartburn and she cant walk long without getting sore feet.

In the end you decide to take her to her favourite ice cream shop. You don't get to eat a lot of ice cream anymore, your heart condition had forced you to really clean up your diet but you're allowed a treat every now and then. 

She smiles warmly when you take hold of her hand over the table.

You get the cookie dough ice cream and she gets chocolate. she's looking at yours with great interest. 

"I wanna taste yours", she says. 

You hold out your spoon but she goes for your lips instead. she gives you a long (thankfully PG-13) kiss before pulling back, licking her lips. Its over far too soon in your opinion.

"delicious", she practically purrs. you gulp. 

She goes back to eating her own ice cream, apparently completely unaware of the effect she has on you. 

you giggle when you notice she has a little chocolate on her face. she frowns when you start dabbing at her face with a napkin but can't seem to fight off a smile as you continue to fuss. she looks at you like you put the stars in the sky. 

"you know we should probably talk about baby names soon", you say when your satisfied that you've cleaned her face properly. 

she leans back in her chair, "you already know where i stand on this". 

"Carm! we are not naming our child an anagram of your name". 

She just shrugs and says "say what you will, Milarca Arcilma Hollis has a nice ring to it". 

you can't help laughing at that. 

The rest of the date is spent bickering playfully over names. It's probably the best date you've ever been on. 

She finishes her ice cream first, you can't stand having her just watch you eat from across the table so you occasionally give her spoonfuls of yours. 

"Hey, thanks for coming out with me tonight", you say, as you're walking to the car with her arm around your shoulders. 

"My pleasure cupcake". she kisses your temple. 

You continue your date when you get back home but it mostly consists of making out on the couch.

* * *

 

Its starting to get hard for Carmilla to sleep, you can feel her tossing around at night or getting up to pee 500 times. Ok maybe 500 is a tiny exaggeration, but its a lot. 

The lack of sleep is making her very grumpy. pregnancy in general is making her very grumpy. She's constantly uncomfortable and tired which has lead to her snapping at Betty and Danny more times than you can count. 

You feel about as useless as a bag of doorknobs because you can't seem to do anything to make her feel better. 

You're at work, on the set of the talk show you produce (a show where you have a scientist interview conservative, anti-science people over breakfast) when Betty comes up to you and invites you and Carmilla to have dinner with her and Danny. You're surprised they would willingly spend time with her right now, considering she's being a bit of an asshole to both of them lately. 

You're not sure how keen Carmilla is going to be on this dinner but you tell Betty you'll ask her anyway. 

when you come home you find Carmilla sprawled out of the couch, surrounded by every pillow in house. 

"Hey", you lean down and kiss her. 

"Hey". 

She struggles to get up into a sitting position, grumbling under her breath. You rub her shoulders and she sighs, closing her eyes. 

"So Betty and Danny want us to come over for dinner tomorrow night". 

She quirks an eyebrow "Betty _and_ Danny? what, are they like a couple now", she asks as you keep working on her shoulders. 

"I'm not sure. they do seem to be spending a lot of time together". You haven't really being paying enough attention, which you immediately feel guilty for. 

"They do already have a family of dogs together". 

"well that's true. what do you think anyway, you up to going to dinner with them?". 

"As long as Xena's not cooking". 

~

Later that night you're watching Agent Carter by yourself (Carmilla won't even give it a chance). she's off having a bath to try to relax. Betty texts your a picture of her face being licked by four very cute dogs, your in the middle of texting her back when Carmilla emerges from the bathroom. 

"Laura, I don't think we can do dinner tomorrow", Carmilla says shakily. 

"ok, why not?". 

"my water just broke". you almost fall off the couch. 

"shit! holy crap. ok, ok um, shit! this wasn't supposed to happen for another 3 weeks! are you ok? do you need to sit down?. we should get to the hospital, where did i put the-". 

"Laura, calm down! God, think of your heart condition", Carmilla interjects.

"Right". she has a point, you take a deep, slow breath and try to think. 

"contractions haven't even started yet, we don't need to go to the hospital until they're four minutes apart",Carmilla reminds you soothingly.

You feel you should be the one calming her down instead of the other way around. 

"so, what? we just wait?", you wonder. 

"that's exactly what we do" she confirms. 

~

She's in labour for 27 hours and you feel entirely useless. You do what you can, adjusting her pillows and wiping her face but it just doesn't feel like enough.

She snaps at all of the hospital staff, she's particularly mean when she's in pain. 

You can't help feeling guilty that you're the one who did this to her, though not in the traditional way. She squeezes your hand so hard you're afraid your fingers might break, while her face contorts with pain. You get her an epidural not long after you arrive at the hospital which seems to help a lot. 

The delivery itself doesn't take long compared to the hours spent in labour. You stand beside her the entire time, holding her hand and pushing hair off her face. She gets very angry when anybody tries to encourage her. It takes her 20 minutes of pushing before she finally gives birth to a healthy baby girl. 

Loud crying fills the room and the doctor the doctor hands your daughter to Carmilla first, which is only fair. she's out of breath and covered in sweat but she still grins down at her tiredly, running a finger along her baby's nose. she turns her head to look at you. 

"She looks just like you", she marvels. 

It's not until you get your turn to hold that you realise she's right. You've never thought newborns look much like anyone but this baby is something of a mini-me. 

You've never loved two people more than you do in this moment. 

~

You name her Zoe; literally the only name you could both agree on and sign both your names on the birth certificate. 

Danny and Betty are the first to come and visit, bringing with them a stuffed elephant that is twice the size of your baby. Danny also brings a very large, homemade sandwich for Carmilla. she and Betty are both so tall that Zoe looks even tinier when one of them is holding her. She seems to have taken after you in the size department. 

Carmilla sleeps a lot over the next two days, she definitely earned it. the whole experience wore her out entirely. You don't think she'll ever go through it again. 

You start packing your things up, getting ready to leave the hospital. Carmilla has somehow managed to spread her things everywhere and you keep finding her possesions in the most random places.

she's stanting over the crib, just watching Zoe sleep and you come over to stand behind her, resting your chin on her shoulder. 

"I can't believe how cute she is", you whisper. you're probably biased but you think she's definitely the cutest baby ever. 

Carmilla hums in agreement, "she takes after you". 

you kiss the side of her head. 

"I think you're pretty cute yourself". 

maybe this is not how you always imagined having a baby, but you wouldn't have it any other way. 

* * *

 

one year later: 

 

Maybe you went a little overboard inviting so many people to your daughters first birthday (which she wouldn't even remember) you think as you drive Betty and Danny home. Betty is in the middle of telling you about the family portrait style picture she and Danny had had taken of them and their six dogs. Apparently all of the dogs looked very dashing in their bow-ties and Betty was very pleased with the way it turned out. you're trying to focus your full attention on her but its late and you're tired and you just want to go home to your fiancée and daughter. 

You wave goodbye, having declined their offer to come in and see the portrait for yourself (knowing Betty she'll text a picture anyway). 

When you get in your greeted with the mess from the party, wrapping paper all over the floor and discarded party hats everywhere. You climb the stairs slowly and push open your bedroom door. Carmilla's sitting back on the bed, reading some ancient, dusty looking book with Zoe sleeping in her arms, her head resting on Carmilla's chest. 

She looks up and smiles when she hears you come in. 

"I cant believe she's already asleep. she never goes to sleep this fast", you mutter. she had been very much awake when you left. 

"mmm I think your little party wore her out". 

Carmilla stands carefully and carries Zoe towards her room, she presses a kiss into her soft, golden-brown hair before slowly lowering her into her crib. You tuck her in snugly, before kissing her forehead. You follow Carmilla silently out of the room and back into your own. 

As soon as Carmilla lays down, you climb on top of her. You press your lips together hungrily, biting her bottom lip gently. you only kiss her for a minute before you pull back teasingly, just far enough so that her lips cant reach you. she groans. 

"I have been wanting to do that _all day_ ", you say, leaning back down down to recapture her lips. 

She's running her hands up and down your back, occasionally pausing to press you closer to her. 

"oh yeah?", she asks against your lips. 

you nod "you have no idea". 

she starts pressing kisses to your jaw. 

"I think I do actually". 

you moan loudly when she starts kissing a particularly sensitive spot below your ear. you can feel her smile against your skin. she puts one of her fingers to your lips. 

"shhhh, if you want to do this then we have to be really. really. really quiet", she whispers, punctuating each 'really' with a kiss. 

She's right of course, your room is right next to your sleeping baby's. you've already accidentally woken her up by being too loud twice and you don't want to traumatise her. 

She goes back to kissing down your neck and she's just slipping her hands under you shirt, when your phone goes off and you jolt apart in alarm. 

And just when things were starting to get interesting. 

"dammit!", she growls. 

Now that the moods been killed you figure you might as well check who texted you. 

Betty. Of course it was. 

As you had expected, its a picture of the portrait she was telling you about in the car. 

It's cute, but not cute enough to justify the interruption. 

~

You're woken by a crying baby at 8 am, like always. you try to detach yourself from Carmilla but she's like a koala when she sleeps. when you finally free yourself from her arms you head towards the source of noise. 

Zoe stops crying immediately when she see's you and gives you a wide smile. you lift her out of the crib and bring her into your room. 

"lets go see mama". 

Having a baby hasn't turned Carmilla into a morning person. she grumbles when you try to nudge her awake so you switch tactics, kissing her face until she scrunches it up and blinks several times. 

"No" she says tiredly. 

She shuts her eyes but opens her arms, you crawl into them, tucking Zoe safely between you. Carmilla kisses the top of both of your heads before sighing and going back to sleep. You're not tired anymore but you're content to just enjoy cuddling with your two favourite people in the world. 

Your life isn't perfect, you still have fights with Carmilla. You still have nights where you're awake until 4 am with a crying baby. you still have days where your work seems never ending. So, no your life isn't perfect but you wouldn't trade it for anything. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> i kept telling myself i wasn't going to write this, even while i was writing it. fluff is my favourite thing to read but for some reason i'm terrible at writing it so i hope i didn't mess it up too badly.  
> thanks for reading! (sorry its so long)
> 
> p.s i didnt actually plan on having Betty and Danny becoming accidental co-parents to a family of labradors, it just kind of happened.  
> this took me 3 hours to edit, i hope to god i never have to read it again.


End file.
